The French Disconnection
by Lady Emily
Summary: When Cody is in an accident that causes him to lose his memories of what happened in Paris, Bailey must play along until he regains his memories of their breakup on his own... even while she herself teeters on the edge of emotional breakdown.
1. The Situation Being Like It Is

_Prologue: The Situation Being Like It Is_

"How about this one?"

Bailey sighed as her friend London Tipton yanked an outfit off the sales rack in front of her, holding it up for Bailey's inspection. The outfit was beautiful- a ruffled blue top with a black, lacy skirt, exactly the sort of thing Bailey would have picked for herself (if she'd had the kind of money London did), but she couldn't muster any sort of enthusiasm over it... all she could think of was how the shirt was nearly the same shade as Cody's eyes, and how his face would light up when he saw how pretty she looked wearing it, and how he would entwine his fingers with hers and say-

"Bailey! _Bailey!_" London called, waving the shirt in her face. "Wake up! I said, how about this? I always think the _peasant _blouse look is particularly appropriate for you..."

Ignoring London's insult- or was it a _joke?_- Bailey bit her lip, suddenly holding back tears. Cody wouldn't do any of those things if he saw her in that dress, because he was no longer her boyfriend. "I don't know, London..." she murmured. What was the point of dressing up when the only guy she wanted to impress had just dumped her?

London tapped her designer heel impatiently. "Bailey, how many times do I have to explain this? Retail therapy only works if you _buy something_, specifically something cute to wear, so you can boost your pathetic self-esteem and hook a hot guy who will make you forget all about what's-his-name!"

"Cody." Bailey reminded her sadly.

"You're really missing the point here."

"Sorry."

London hung the outfit back on the rack. "And don't think I don't see those watery eyes, Farm Girl. I thought we both agreed that the 'sobbing-into-a-half-gallon-of-Häagen-Dazs' phase of the breakup was history."

Bailey blotted her eyes with her sleeve. "It is."

Seeing her friend's misery, London groaned, rolled her eyes upward, and placed an arm around Bailey's shoulders. "I know it's only been three days since you and he... you know, but the ship is leaving tomorrow, and I think you should try and make some good memories of Paris to take with you. Who knows if you'll ever be here again? And by _here_, I mean: among the best shopping in the world!" She rubbed Bailey's arm supportively. "But if you really want, I'll go with you to that loofah place. For a little while."

Bailey sniffed and mustered a slight smile. "You mean the Louvre?" It was certainly a sacrifice for London to offer to tear herself away from shopping in Paris (one of her favorite pastimes) to visit the famous museum, and Bailey appreciated it more than she could say. "I'd really like that, London. Thanks."

London nodded. "You're welcome. Now come on, pick something pretty." she encouraged, waving an arm at the endless selection of fashionable clothing in the boutique. "We don't have all day- visiting hours at the hospital start at one and I promised Zack I'd drop by."

In shock, Bailey dropped the patterned vest she'd been idly fingering. "Zack's in the hospital? What happened?"

"Oh, no, no." London hastened to reassure her. "Zack's fine."

Bailey exhaled, relieved, and returned the vest to its hanger. "Wait. So who are you visiting?"

"Um... What's-his-name." London said reluctantly.

"Cody?" Bailey gasped. Her knees were suddenly weak and her hand shot out, grabbing a nearby clothing rack to steady herself as the blood drained from her face.

"I don't think you're grasping the concept of the name thing-"

Bailey silenced the heiress by grabbing her shoulders and shaking her. "London, focus! Cody! Is he hurt? What happened to him? When? Oh, god, is it bad?"

"He was in a traffic accident. Yesterday. I don't know how bad it is... Bailey I'm gonna throw up!"

Bailey stopped shaking the girl but didn't release her shoulders. "London... Yesterday? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

London did look a little queasy. "No one wanted to tell you... the situation being like it is."

Bailey was stricken. "We may have broken up, but we're still friends... we still care about each other... _I think_." she said softly. "Of course I would want to know if he was hurt. I'd want to help him any way I could."

London placed a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder- it was impossible not to notice that Bailey was trembling. "We're skipping the Louvre and going right to the hospital, aren't we?"

Bailey could only nod mutely.


	2. We'll Always Have Paris

A/N: To all my readers and especially those who reviewed, thank you so much! You guys are completely wonderful. Keep it up and enjoy chapter 2!

Disclaimer: Nothing you recognize belongs to me!

* * *

_We'll Always Have Paris... Unless, You Know, One Of Us Forgets Or Something  
_

"Zack saw the whole thing from across the street." London was explaining as she and Bailey walked through the bustling hospital corridors. "Cody was crossing without watching where he was going, and walked right out in front of a Vespa. The Vespa swerved and beeped but when Cody jumped out of the way he fell and hit his head on the curb."

"A Vespa? As in, a moped?" Bailey asked incredulously.

London rolled her eyes. "I know. Cody _would_ get himself taken out by a motor scooter."

"Don't say that."

"Last I heard he was still unconscious." London finished.

"That sounds bad." Bailey murmured. They walked into a waiting area and she immediately spotted Marcus, Woody, and Mr. Moseby sitting against one wall. The two girls quickly joined the group. "Any news on Cody?" she questioned anxiously.

Moseby and the boys looked mildly surprised to see her. "I'm afraid not." Moseby answered. "His vitals are stable, but he's still comatose. But the doctors say he could come out of it at any time."

Bailey closed her eyes tightly, a grimace on her face. While she was relieved that Cody was stable, _comatose_ was never a word you wanted to hear in reference to your loved ones. "Where's Zack?" she asked after a moment.

No one said a word, but Marcus pointed discreetly towards the other end of the waiting room, where Cody's twin was pacing back and forth distractedly. Leaving London with the others, Bailey stood and approached Zack. When Zack realized she was there, the expression in his eyes oddly resembled the pained look Cody had given her when he suggested they split. "How are you doing?" she asked him quietly.

"How am I doing?" Zack answered back harshly. "That's a funny question."

Bailey folded her arms. "How could you not tell me about this, Zack? I should have been here for him."

"Yeah, you should have." Zack replied. "But you weren't there for him before the accident, why should you be after?"

"That's not fair-" Bailey protested around the lump in her throat. It occurred to her that she had never seen Zack truly angry before. She had never seen him speak to anyone as coldly as he had just spoken to her. Tears burned in her eyes at her friend's reproachful gaze.

"I told everyone not to tell you." Zack said. "You've already upset Cody enough, he doesn't need you here making it worse."

"You think he'd be less upset if he thought I didn't even care enough to visit him in the hospital?" Bailey challenged.

"I think he'd be less upset if he didn't have to see you anymore." Zack returned. "After all, that's what you wanted, right?"

"Of course not! You're twisting what really happened!" Bailey cried. When Zack didn't respond, only fixing her with a stony glare, she lowered her voice, trying to keep calm. "Just tell me how bad it is." she requested in a quivering voice.

Zack made a fist and slammed it into the back of a nearby chair. "I don't know, okay?" he growled. "It's bad enough."

Seeing Zack so freaked out scared Bailey more than anything. Her vision blurred as hot tears began to collect in her eyes. "Zack-"

"Bailey, please!" Zack snapped, cutting her off.

"Excuse me, you're Cody Martin's brother?" A nurse broke into their heated conversation, addressing Zack in heavily-accented English.

Zack's attention deserted Bailey instantly and both teens focused on the nurse. "Yes. How is he?"

"As far as we know, he is doing fine." she assured him. "He is increasingly showing signs of normal brain activity, which means that he is likely to wake up soon. Until he does, we won't know how serious his condition is. Head injuries, they can be very tricky."

Zack nodded. "Okay."

"Can we see him?" Bailey requested. "I don't want him to wake up alone..."

The nurse gave the two distraught teens an empathetic smile. "You may. But no fighting in the patient's room- he needs rest."

Zack and Bailey looked at their feet, both ashamed of their behavior in the waiting room. With a quick wave to their friends, they followed the nurse down the hall and to Cody's room. Tentatively, Bailey pushed open the door.

Cody was asleep in the white hospital bed, looking thin and pale. His white skin was marred by a dark bruise on one side of his head, partially covered by a gauzy bandage that wound over his hair and forehead. Bailey bit her lip as she moved to stand by his bedside, across from where Zack had taken up his place on Cody's right. She toyed with the idea of taking his hand, of talking to him, but she couldn't gather the courage with Zack there, sure he would reprimand her for being a hypocrite.

Zack, on the other hand, had no trouble ignoring Bailey's presence. He hunkered down in the chair next to the bed and talked softly into his brother's ear. "Hey, Code. Come on, wake up. We've only got one more day in Paris and I don't want the boat to leave without you."

Cody stirred slightly.

"I called Mom last night." Zack continued after a moment. "You've scared the hell out of her. She was all ready to drop what she was doing and book a trans-Atlantic flight. I told her I'd take care of you."

Cody let forth a cough that might have been a laugh. "Yeah right, Zack. You couldn't take care of a goldfish." he moaned.

Bailey watched with a mixture of relief and anxiety as Cody's eyes opened and he tilted his head to look at Zack.

Zack grinned. "Welcome back, Cody. How are you feeling?"

"Like I was hit by a truck." Cody answered, reaching a hand up to his aching head and looking vaguely surprised when his fingers encountered the bandage.

"I can't decide whether to let you keep your pride, or tell you that it was a moped." Zack joked.

"Ugh, you must be kidding." Cody groaned.

"Sorry, bro." Zack said, standing up. "And can I just ask, what were you_ thinking_? You freaked us all out pretty bad."

Cody frowned, as if he were concentrating very hard. "I don't know what I was thinking." he said slowly. "I don't really remember what happened."

"You're lucky it _wasn't_ a truck." Zack remarked. "I'll go get the doctor, maybe he'll give you something for your head. I'll be right back." he fixed Bailey with a warning glare before leaving the room.

Cody turned his attention to Bailey and she blushed, surprised at the way his face lit up. "Hey Bails." he punned with a soft smile.

Bailey scooted her chair a little closer to him. She had been miserable the past few days without seeing that smile, and she couldn't help how weak with relief she felt that he was awake and talking. "Hey Cody."

"Sorry for giving you a scare." Cody apologized.

Bailey shook her head fondly. Unlike the rest of their friends, Cody didn't assume that the breakup meant she wouldn't be scared for him. Just like always, he understood completely, and- Her eyes jumped abruptly to his when he reached out and grasped her hand in his own.

"How long was I out?"

"A little over a day." Bailey answered slowly.

"A day?" Cody sighed in apparent frustration. "I can't believe it. I missed our one year anniversary!"

_Our anniversary was three days ago._ Bailey's blood ran cold and she opened her mouth to correct him, but nothing came out.

"I had it all planned out- dinner on the Eiffel Tower, flowers, an accordion player..." he shook his head again, regretfully. "I'm so sorry, Bails. Happy anniversary."

"Oh, Cody, no..." Bailey began hesitantly.

"I know, none of that stuff _really_ matters. But it would have been nice." he assured her, seeing her distress and not understanding it. "What matters is that I love you." he raised their clasped hands and brushed a kiss over her knuckles.

_He doesn't remember. He doesn't remember what happened on our anniversary. He doesn't remember that we broke up. _There was no way around it: Bailey was frightened for him. How could Cody have lost three days? How bad did a head injury have to be to induce memory loss?

He was watching her nervously now, waiting for a response to his declaration. Before she could decide on the right reply to give him, the door opened and Zack returned, the doctor following behind him. "Ah, Mr. Martin, glad to see you awake. I'm Doctor Benedict." said the doctor, a large-framed man with a dark mustache. "How are you feeling?"

"I have a headache." Cody responded ruefully, "But I assume that's to be expected."

Doctor Benedict gave a rumbling chuckle. "That it is." he told Cody. "I'm told you took quite a spill." He reached into his pocket and extracted a penlight before addressing Zack and Bailey. "Would you two be kind enough to wait in the hall while I examine him?"

Cody gave Bailey's hand a brief squeeze before releasing it. "Don't go far?" he requested.

Bailey forced a smile. "Of course not." she reassured him, before following Zack into the empty hallway. As soon as the door closed behind her she turned to Zack. "He doesn't remember!" she said, for the first time allowing her panic to show.

Zack folded his arms and looked at her coolly, obviously still upset with her. "Who doesn't remember what?"

"Cody!" Bailey told him. "He doesn't know what day it is. He thinks it's the day after our anniversary."

Zack blew out a long breath. "Okay. That can't be good... May-maybe he's just a little mixed up. You know, the dates..."

Bailey shook her head. "It's like everything that happened in the past three days has been wiped out for him. He... he thinks I'm still his girlfriend."

Zack didn't know what to say, and the two stared at each other in silence until Doctor Benedict joined them, still making notes on Cody's chart.

"Your brother seems to be fine." the doctor said, to Zack and Bailey's immense relief. "He has a very minor concussion, but there seems to be no serious damage. I've given him some painkillers to take care of the headache, and the bruise will begin to look worse before it looks better, but I've given instructions for him to be released as soon as he's ready."

Bailey nodded, opening her mouth to ask-

"There's just one thing." Benedict continued. "Cody doesn't remember the accident- which is common for many victims of head trauma- but he also seems to be missing memories of the three days before the incident. This kind of memory loss is less common, but not unheard of. It's possible that something happened during those days that was particularly upsetting or traumatic for him, and the brain is suppressing those memories until such a time when he is ready to deal with it." he looked between Zack and Bailey. "Do either of you know if...?"

Zack glared in Bailey's direction. "I have a good idea of what it might have been."

Bailey paled, frantic that she might be the cause of Cody's condition. "Our anniversary." she confessed to the doctor. "Cody's and mine. We broke up." Her voice cracked. "He doesn't remember, Doctor. What should I do?"

Doctor Benedict patted the distraught girl on the shoulder. "Now, now. In almost all cases the memories return as the brain recovers from its trauma. Until then, I suggest acting normal around him. If at all possible, don't say or do anything that will anger or upset him. Rest is the best thing for him right now. Undue stress will only make the situation worse."

"Thank you, Doctor." Bailey said, wiping her watery eyes and nodding in understanding.

Doctor Benedict nodded at the pair and strode away down the hall, and Zack caught Bailey's elbow as she made to re-enter Cody's room. "Bailey."

Bailey stopped short and looked at him. The anger she had previously seen in Zack's face was gone, replaced by a pleading expression. "Yes?"

"Don't tell him about the breakup." Zack implored. "It was hard enough for him the first time. Please, _please_, just play along until he's well enough to handle it."

Hearing Zack beg so earnestly on his brother's behalf nearly brought Bailey to tears again. "Of course, Zack. I wasn't going to tell him. Not until he's better. I promise."

Zack swallowed hard. "Thank you." He stopped her again as she tried to open the door once more. "And- And I'm sorry about the way I've been treating you, Bailey. Cody's my brother, and you hurt him bad, but I know he wasn't the only one who got hurt. I was just... I was scared for him, and having someone to blame made it easier, but I was wrong. Whatever happens with Cody, I don't want us to stop being friends because of it."

The tears started to fall again as Bailey pulled Zack into a hug. "No. No, we won't."

The door opened and Cody came out, tugging his jacket over his shoulders. "Hey, you better not be scamming on my girl, Zack."

Zack and Bailey separated quickly, both trying to project a facade of normality.

"She wishes." Zack said, at the same time as Bailey said, "In your dreams."

Cody laughed and stumbled slightly. Immediately Zack and Bailey were on either side of him, draping his arms over their shoulders. "Thanks, guys. So this is what a concussion feels like."

He let her support him as they made their way toward the lobby, trusting her, and Bailey felt a stab of guilt. She couldn't figure out which was worse: having to hide the truth from him, or the fact that it was true at all.


	3. Mysterious Ways

A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my reviewers! Your great response to this story thus far completely made my day. Hope you enjoy the last two chapters just as much!

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_Like God, Head Injuries Work in Mysterious Ways_

Bailey reached the safety of her cabin and sighed, closing the door behind her. It had only been two days since Cody had been released from the hospital and she was already starting to rethink the wisdom of not telling him about the breakup. She had never realized how much time she spent with Cody and the gang before- classes in the morning, lunch, studying after school, games and movies and just plain hanging out in the evening... Keeping up the act in front of Cody was difficult for all his friends (and almost impossible for London, who could luckily be sidetracked at any time with a shiny piece of tin foil), but for Bailey, who was still reeling from the reality of their breakup, it was nigh on impossible. Cody obviously knew something was wrong with her, but he didn't understand what.

Sinking onto her bed, Bailey flipped open her calculus book and started working on her homework, thankful that the soothing repetitions of derivations and integrations were distracting her from thinking about Cody. Since their anniversary she'd been an emotional wreck- angry at him for his anal behavior on their date, hurt by his words during their fight, devastated by their breakup, frightened by his accident, and so very, very relieved by his recovery... Not to mention the anxiety she felt about his current memory loss. At this point she didn't know which to fear more: that his condition would worsen and his memories would never return, or that he would remember what happened and be angry at her for lying to him. Their friendship was already on the rocks because of trust issues- what if this little act was what made the damage irreparable?

Glancing down at her empty paper, Bailey quickly realized that her homework was not doing a very good job of distracting her. She quickly copied down the first equation when she heard a knock on the door. "Come in."

Just as she'd feared, Cody entered, perching casually on the side of her bed. "Hey, Bails... Doing calc without me?"

Bailey smiled guiltily. She and Cody were the only two students who'd elected to take the advanced calculus class, and they always collaborated on their homework, helping each other out and checking their own work. "I've barely started." she confessed. "I guess I've just been busy."

Cody smiled back and gave her a half-shrug. "I'm here if you need help." he said. "I guess I should get working on it too. I don't think the ol' 'head injury' excuse is going to work on the teachers much longer."

"Yeah, right." Bailey laughed. They both knew Cody hadn't made the slightest attempt to use his accident as an excuse for slacking off. In fact, he continued to keep up with his homework even after the teachers granted him extra time on his assignments. "Speaking of which, how's the head today?" She held her breath waiting for the answer- would today be the day he remembered?

"Better." Cody said. "It barely hurts at all, and I'm finding it a lot easier to focus. My depth perception is back and everything!" he joked, referring to the way his balance had been affected by the concussion.

"Fantastic!" Bailey said encouragingly. "The, uh, the bruise looks better." Cody had been left with a hell of a shiner when he hit his head- the bruise had extended from his temple and forehead to the area around his eye. However, today it seemed that the swelling had gone down, and the angry purple color was beginning to fade to a yellowish-brown.

"Huh, that's not what London said." Cody remarked. "She's been on my back all day about how my face doesn't match my outfit."

"I meant from a medical standpoint, not a fashion standpoint." Bailey grinned. Cody always knew what to say to make her smile. Either that, or make her spitting mad. "Fashionably speaking, brown and black don't match any better than they ever did. Even a backcountry farm girl knows that." she teased, plucking at the fabric of his black "if you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate" t-shirt.

Cody snatched her hand as she pulled away, a teasing smile on his lips. "I'm sure London would be glad to hear it." he scooted closer to her, shutting her textbook with one hand and sliding it aside.

Bailey knew what was coming next by the way her heart was fluttering. She had tried her hardest not to be alone with Cody over the past two days- all they had really done was hold hands- but she had a feeling this encounter was about to be less casual... and what was worse: she wanted it to be. "Hey! I thought you liked the way I dress!" Bailey protested, scooting back a few inches.

Cody leaned in on his hands, brushing their lips together briefly. "I do." he said in a low voice. "I especially like..." Slowly, he brought one hand up to her throat, tracing the collar of her checkered shirt before undoing the top button. Spreading the collar with his fingers, he dipped his head to kiss her neck.

Bailey giggled. She couldn't help it, his nearness was like a drug whose effects she couldn't fight. But her conscience wouldn't let her enjoy the moment, reminding her that although they had made out before, doing it now- while Cody wasn't himself- was wrong. "Cody..."

She grasped his wrist and pulled away from him, and he got the hint immediately, pulling himself up to her level and sitting alongside her, a look of concern on his face. "What's the matter, Bailey?" When she didn't answer, he pressed her gently. "Bails, you've been acting miserable since I got out of the hospital. Please, tell me what's wrong. You know you can trust me."

There it was again. _Trust._ Her lack of trust in him was what had caused all this trouble to begin with. "I know I can trust you." she repeated, mostly to herself. It was true: she would trust him with anything. So why had she been so quick to assume the worst when she'd seen him "kiss" London in Paris? How could she have been so stupid? "You'd _never_ go behind my back and kiss a girl with black extensions on top of the Eiffel Tower on the day before our anniversary."

Cody frowned. "Of course I wouldn't do that... oddly specific hypothetical action..." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Is there something we need to talk about? I _love_ you, Bailey."

_I love you too, Cody_, she wanted to say, but instead what came out was, "What would you do if you thought you saw me kiss another boy?"

Cody paled, and for a minute Bailey worried that she was stressing him out, just as the doctor had warned her not to, but he pulled himself together. "I'd be crushed." he said quietly. "I guess I'd confront you, ask why you did it... Is... is there someone else, Bailey?"

"What? No!" Bailey denied vehemently. "There's never been anyone else. It's just..." She toyed with the ends of her hair, trying to figure out how much she could tell him without breaking her promise to Zack. "When we were in Paris, I met this guy in the park. He seemed nice, we got to talking, and he started hitting on me, so I told him I had a boyfriend and I just wasn't interested in being anything more than friends. But he was really persistent."

Cody tensed up. "He didn't try anything, did he?"

"No. He hugged me once, but nothing else. I just didn't want you to get the wrong impression about it."

Cody shook his head. "I didn't even know about it-" he broke off abruptly, pausing for a long time. "Was his name Jean-Luc?" he asked finally.

Bailey's mouth dropped open. "Yes! How did you-"

"I don't know how I knew!" Cody answered, looking surprised himself before making a joke. "I mean, everyone knows all Parisian guys are either named Jean-Luc or Pierre so it was a straight fifty-fifty..." Despite his attempt at levity, there was a troubled look on his face. Bailey held her breath for a moment, sure he was beginning to remember, but he shook his head and changed the subject. "So I might need your help on the calc homework." he said with a forced grin. "After all, I do have a head injury..."

* * *

"Zack, there you are." Bailey approached the Easy Squeezy, where Zack was closing up the juice bar for the night.

"Here I am." Zack agreed, dissembling the blender and tossing the pieces into the sudsy sink water. "I hope you're not looking for a smoothie, because we're closed. All that's left is this." He set a cup of brownish-colored slush on the bar.

"It's not that. We need to talk." Bailey said, taking a seat on one of the stools.

"Uh, _we need to talk_?"Zack paused in his cleaning, raising his eyebrows. "What, you broke up with my brother and liked it so much you decided to break up with me too?"

Bailey just gave him a stony frown.

"Okay. Too soon." Zack noted under his breath. "Well, Bailey, what's on your mind?"

"It's Cody-" Bailey began, and Zack rolled his eyes.

"Why did I even ask? All right, if you're here to whine to me about my brother, get back here and dry for me while we talk."

Bailey huffed but did as he said, sliding off the stool and going behind the counter. "Aren't you worried about him? It's been almost a week and he still hasn't remembered!" She accepted the dripping blender lid Zack handed her and dried it off with a dishtowel. "Do you think we should call the hospital in Paris and ask them what to do?"

"They already told us what to do: Give him time." Zack pointed out, scrubbing out the inside of the blender. "Act normal around him, and he'll get better on his own. Eventually."

"But he's not!" Bailey argued. "Sure, the bruise is healing, and his concussion seems to be getting better, but he can't remember, and pretending like nothing is wrong is killing me!"

"Uh huh." Zack said slowly. "So is this about what's best for him, or what's best for _you_?"

"What?" Bailey said, upset by his insinuation. "How dare-" She cut herself off, thinking for a moment, then relented. "I'm trying to think about what's best for Cody. I really am." she said. "But I can't help but wonder if lying to him is really what's best." She paused, and then continued is a very soft voice. "And the thing is, the longer I put off telling him about the breakup, the less I want him to remember it."

"What?" Zack was confused. "I thought you just wanted to get it out so you could move on with your life?"

Bailey bit her lip. "I never wanted to break up in the first place! But I was angry, and I thought that was what _he _wanted, and I wasn't going to beg him to stay where he didn't want to be."

Zack snorted. "Are you kidding me Bailey? Cody sobbed like a little girl for eighteen straight hours after you two broke up... Probably because he finally realized how far out of his league you were, and that he was never, ever going to hook another 8.2."

Bailey stopped drying and looked at him. "I'm an 8.2?"

"Yeah." Zack said. "When we first met you were an 8.7, but that was before I realized how lame you were."

Bailey smacked him with the dishtowel.

"What? I'm not saying you're not hot, 'cause you are," Zack defended. "But hello? _Corn cob art?_"

"Hey!" Bailey folded her arms in annoyance. "I'm not sure whether to be more upset that you're mocking my hobbies, or that personality only accounts for half a point on your hotness scale."

"Yeah, you'd be surprised how little weight personality carries in these matters." Zack said, ducking before she could hit him again. "If you don't stop whacking me with that towel I'm going to make _you _wash while _I_ dry."

Bailey twisted the towel in her hands thoughtfully. "I'm not out of Cody's league." she said, returning to the original subject. "He was right about me. I didn't trust him, I let myself fly off the handle and into the arms of some other guy without even telling him what was bothering me... It's no wonder he didn't want to be with me anymore."

"Bailey..." Zack sighed, finishing the washing and draining the sink. "With you is the _only_ place he's wanted to be since you met. Well, since he knew you weren't a dude, anyway."

Bailey smiled sadly. "I can forgive him for the way he acted in Paris. I can even forgive all the horrible things he said to me. But if he never remembers what happened between us, how can I know that _he_ would have forgiven _me_? He doesn't have enough information to make his own choice."

"I see what you mean." Zack said after a moment. "But he loves you. Would one fight ever make _you_ stop loving _him_?"

Bailey looked into Zack's eyes, startled, for a moment, by the way he'd hit the nail on the head: she_ loved_ Cody. She had before the breakup, and she still did. "I guess not." she said finally. "But I have to tell him what happened." She smiled bitterly. "It's ironic... I guess I just have to trust his love for me."

"Yep. Sounds like you've already learned _that_ lesson once." Zack remarked. He reassembled the blender and stashed it under the bar. "Just do me a favor and tell him gently, okay? If the big surprise makes him throw himself into the propeller, or starts a brain hemorrhage... well, I'm going to blame you either way."

Bailey frowned at him. "Don't joke about things like that." Absently she took a sip from the cup on the counter, immediately spitting it back out. "Gross! Zack, what _is _this?"

"Uh, the stuff I cleaned out of the overflow trap?" Zack snatched the cup from her hands, laughing. "I didn't think you'd actually drink it! Sick!"

"Ugh!" Bailey ran her tongue over her teeth, trying to wipe away the lingering taste, as she lifted the counter and stepped out from behind the bar. "Good talk, Zack. Thanks."


	4. A Leap of Faith

A/N: Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to leave a review- each one was greatly appreciated. Please keep it up and enjoy the last chapter! (And be on the lookout for another Cody/Bailey breakup fic from me- coming very soon!)_

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We Didn't Really Want To Eat Snails Anyway

Bailey found him on the starboard deck, watching the sun set all by himself, but she could tell by his expression that he wasn't just enjoying the view; he was deep in thought. "Cody?" she spoke up tentatively, regretting that she had to disturb his peace _and_ have the talk she dreaded having. "Mind if I join you?"

He smiled warmly at her. "Never."

There he went, giving her butterflies with just a look again. She leaned her arms on the rail and allowed herself to enjoy the colorful sunset for just a moment. When she turned back to Cody, he was watching _her_, the fond expression on his face making her want to cry. "I have to tell you something." She took a very deep breath. "It's about our anniversary. Some things happened that you don't remember."

Was it just her, or did he suddenly look as nervous as she felt? "Can it wait just one minute?" he asked.

Bailey frowned and nodded. At this point, what was one more minute? Confused, she waited while he lifted one hand to her face and brushed her cheek gently with his thumb. Then he leaned in and kissed her gently. It was a chaste kiss, but definitely a solid one; romantic but not demanding. Her eyelids slipped closed and she actually _felt_ beautiful, like she was glowing, being kissed like that right on the deck of a ship on the sea, awash in the orange-pink light of the setting sun.

After a minute Cody pulled away. "I remember." he said quietly.

Bailey's eyes shot open. "You remember? What? Since when?"

"I remember what happened in Paris. London. Jean-Luc. The Eiffel Tower... The breakup." Cody said. "Everything. Some parts are a little fuzzy, but it's all there."

"Since when?" Bailey asked again, shocked.

Cody ducked his head, shamefaced. "I've known for a few days." he admitted. "I started to remember when we were talking about Jean-Luc in your cabin the other day."

Bailey's mouth dried up and she sagged against the railing for support. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Cody shrugged. "Well, at first, I thought it was some kind of bad dream that I was remembering. I thought I was remembering things that hadn't happened, since everyone was acting like they hadn't."

"Your doctor told us not to tell you any upsetting news, and to act normal around you until you remembered on your own." Bailey explained guiltily.

"I figured as much." Cody nodded. "I mean, I realized pretty quickly that I was missing some days of the week, and it all started to fill itself in..."

"So why didn't you tell me then?" Bailey asked softly. When he didn't answer, she pressed him. "If you remember what happened in Paris, why did you kiss me just now?"

"I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry, Bails." he turned away from her, running a hand through his hair, agitated. "It's just... I wanted a clear memory of our last kiss." He turned back and took in the sight of her stricken expression, the tears hovering in her eyes, just waiting to fall, and groaned in frustration. "God, it would have been easier to keep pretending."

"But... but..." Bailey stuttered pathetically. "Aren't you mad at me? For the terrible things I said about you? For Jean-Luc?"

He sighed. "I stopped being mad the minute you walked away from me. I was _angry_ at you, I didn't want to lose you _forever_."

The tears were falling now, and Bailey swiped at them with her sleeve. "I didn't want to lose you either." she said. "But..."

"But we should talk about this." Cody agreed, evidently seeing where she was going.

"Yeah. That fight meant something. We can't just ignore our problems." Bailey said, allowing him to take her hand and lead her to a nearby lounge chair, where they sat side by side.

"Do you really think I'm that neurotic?" Cody asked, a little defensively. "I know I was a little obsessive, but I just wanted our date to be perfect."

"Do you really think I'm that naïve?" Bailey countered. "A girl can tell when a guy is trying to put the moves on her, even when he's doing it with a French accent."

They locked eyes in a stubborn stalemate for a long moment before they both cracked and smiled.

"You _are_ neurotic, and more than a little obsessive." Bailey pointed out. "And trust me, it gets _annoying_." She gently covered his hand with her own. "But, taking another girl on a practice date so ours would be perfect is kind of sweet. In a twisted way."

"And you wouldn't be you if you didn't look for the good in everybody. Even tall, smarmy French guys." Cody said in the same conciliatory tone, suppressing a smile.

Bailey snorted and pushed her hair behind her ear self-consciously. "I should have looked for the good in _you_." she admitted. "I knew you would never cheat. I should have had faith... I guess when you've been with someone for a long time you start to take all the good things about them for granted..."

"And only see flaws." Cody finished. "I'm guilty of that too. I wasn't thinking about how you must be feeling, seeing me with London. I just saw that you jumped to a hurtful conclusion." he sighed. "I'm sorry we let ourselves get this way, Bails."

She nodded. "Me too, Cody. I forgot to consider all the things that attracted me to you in the first place. One of those things was how loyal and kind you are."

Cody turned his palm up so that they were holding hands again. "Do my positives outweigh my negatives?"

Bailey paused for a few seconds. That was the question of the hour, and suddenly it didn't seem like a very hard question at all. "It's not about weighing the positives and negatives." she said wisely. "It's about owning up to our flaws and quirks and realizing without them we wouldn't be us. You wouldn't be you... You wouldn't be the guy I love." She smiled weakly. She had put herself out there, taken her leap of faith, and all she could do was wait anxiously for his response.

He didn't leave her hanging. "I love you too."

The atmosphere of tension surrounding them seemed to disappear suddenly, and Bailey was suddenly breathless with relief and happiness. "Oh, Cody... I was so scared when I heard you were in the hospital. I mean, without you..." She didn't complete the sentence. Without him, she didn't know what she'd do, and it was looking less and less likely she'd need to find out anytime soon.

He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. "I know, Bails. I know." he said seriously, before making an attempt to lighten the mood. "I know what you mean. When we broke up I was so lost in my own miserable thoughts I accidentally walked into traffic."

Bailey swatted him gently. "That's not funny."

"Sorry." Cody said, smothering a grin. "But, you know what? _Worth it._ You're so out of my league."

Bailey laughed at that, remembering how his brother had said the same thing. "Aw, that's not true... although I am pretty hot: according to Zack I'm an 8.2."

"You're higher than that." Cody murmured good-naturedly, nuzzling her temple.

Bailey pulled back slightly, a teasing glint in her eye. "Oh yeah? You mean the two of you use different scales? It's not standard?"

"It's the same basic scale..." Cody grinned. "They're just calibrated differently."

Bailey giggled. "You're such a nerd."

"Uh huh. You love it." Cody taunted, leaning in, his lips inches from hers.

"_Oh yeah_." The way he was looking at her made her feel like she was brimming with happiness, and Bailey didn't hesitate another second in closing the gap.


End file.
